Duramax Storage Sheds - What Are The Options?

Most people are familiar with the Apple ipod music player. There is the standard version
which is great for playing your favourite tunes and storing pictures. There are smaller and
more compact versions such as the ipod Nano and the ipod shuffle. There are also larger and
more powerful versions with more storage and features such as the iphone and the ipad.

The whole range comes with a host of accessories from docking stations to protective padding
and cases to make the gadget last longer. There is a range of options to cater for a range of
needs.

The range of Duramax storage sheds is quite extensive too

The Duramate shed that I reviewed in this article is very similar to the ipod. It is the
middle of the range shed suitable for a mid-size suburban garden. In the rest of this
article we will look at other sheds in the range that are both bigger and smaller. We
will also look at some of the accessories that are available to make storage even easier.

Lets start by looking at the at the smaller end of the Duramax storage shedsrange

The mid-range Duramate has a span of 8', the first step down from this is the Duramax
Yardmate series which as a span of 5' making the shed a lot smaller and easier to fit in to a
more petite garden. The Yardmate comes in three sizes 5x3, 5x4 and 5x8 and they use the same
system of a steel frame with vinyl panels as their larger brother.

One difference is that these smaller sheds come with a floor supplied as part of the kit.
So if you are building the shed on a patio or hardstanding then there is no need to make your
own raised timber floor.

The Yardmate sheds have a duopitched roof, this contrasts with the smallest of sheds in the
Duramax range the Sidemate which has a mono-pitched roof.

The Sidemate is the smallest shed in the range at 4'x 8'

The Sidemate is designed to fit along side the average house and with it's single sloping
roof it will shed rain water away from the house. The narrow width of the shed increases
the chance of you being able to squeeze this shed into the often narrow and unused space
between the house and the boundary with your neighbour.

The shed does not come supplied with a floor and in many respects it is just like the
Duramate shed, but cut in half along the centreline.

We have now reached the smallest of the Duramax storage sheds in the range and so it is time to flip to the
biggest shed in the Duramax portfolio, the Woodbridge.

The Woodbridge is the largest shed that Duramax supply

The Woodbridge has a span of 10 feet and is available in 8, 10 and 13 feet lengths.
The system is similar to the Duramate in that it has a steel frame with vinyl panels. The
steel roof is good for a snow loading of 20lbs per square foot. This loading is sufficient
for the occasional snow fall, as Duramax recommend that you clear the roof of snow after
each snow fall, because accumulations of snow may lead to the roof becoming overloaded.

With a shed of this size the uses extend beyond simple tool storage and into the realm
of hobby room or small garage for storage and repair of your ride-on lawn mower. The
Woodbridge is also taller than the Duramate as it has an additional 10” of headroom so
that you can move around more comfortably inside.

We have now explored the full range of Duramax storage sheds, but not yet started on the options
that are available to fit out the inside of the shed to your own particular use. There are a
range of different accessories that allow you to customise the structure and also to facilitate
storage within the shed.

How to customise the basic Duramax shed structure

Basic Duramax storage sheds are supplied without windows. There is an optional window pack
however that allows a window to be installed in place of one of the side panels. There
is quite a range of flexibility of where you install this window as it can replace any of
the side panels, so you can have the window looking out over the garden or any direction
that you choose.

The shed that I built did not have windows so it could have been a bit dark inside.
However it came with one of the roof ridge panels supplied as a piece of transparent plastic.
This 'see through' roof panel let a considerable amount of light into the shed, more than
enough in normal conditions, to find whatever I was looking for without the need for a torch.

For some of the sheds in the range the floor is an optional extra

The Yardmate comes with its own plastic floor included within the basic package. However
the Sidemate, Duramate and Woodbridge all have the option of a prefabricated foundation
and floor. If you like everything to be supplied in one package ready to install then
this is the option for you. It might cost a little bit more than developing your own
system, out of concrete or timber, but at least you know that everything has been thought
through by the company that made the shed and should fit together first time.

The foundation and floor do add a fair bit to the cost of the whole shed package but then
if you are not too familiar with this type of project then the additional cost may well be
worth the time saved.

Do you remember all the ipod accessories that I mentioned at the start of this article?

Well there are also all sorts of accessories to help you make the most of the storage space
within Duramax storage sheds. The basic idea is to use the wall space efficiently. To help with this
there is a horizontal track system that can be fixed to the wall columns so that items
such as hoses, cables and tools can be hung from the walls. There are a variety of hooks
to enable the storage of items of such varying shape as bikes, long handled tools and
garden hoses.

When it comes to smaller items there are also some shelves that can be fixed to the walls
so that small cans of paint and screwdrivers can be kept to hand but off the floor.

All in all the Duramax storage sheds offer quite a comprehensive storage system

The Duramax shed range has the Sidemate as the smallest shed in the range at 4x8 and
this progresses through the Yardmate with a range of sheds with a 5' span, to the mid-range
Duramate with the 8'span and then the top of the range Woodbridge shed which is the size of
a small garage at 10' span.

And just like the Apple ipods the shed come with a range of different accessories that
quickly enable you to fit out your Duramax shed to fulfill your garden storage needs.